Reader Mail

Soooooo happy it's Friday. More NCAA b-ball tonight even though losses by Duke - yeah, I know I went with Duke and not 'Nova - and Memphis haven't help my bracket. Errrrrrrr....

Check out Ryan Cormier's Pulp Culture blog - booze now at Theatre N.

Regular Guy Grubber Peter Bothum goes to Hooters. For wings. Well, that's what he said. Read all about it.

On Thursday, the Phillies unveiled new food options, merchandise and other things that will be going on at Citizens Bank Park this season. Home opener is April 5. I'll post my story later today. (Chatted for a while with my childhood hero Greg Luzinski, who sells his Bull's BBQ sauce at Willey Farms in Townsend. Life was very good on Thursday.)

And speaking of Thursday: Have you been to the Thursday live jazz nights at Moro? They have a small plates menu - items are $15 and under - available on the second-floor. I think this may be one of the best deals in the state for food of this caliber. Moro is easily one of best restaurants in Delaware. More is coming soon.

Every Friday is Reader Mail. You ask. I try to answer. Email me at ptalorico@delawareonline.com.

Here's what's in the mailbag:

PETER BRADY ISN'T THE ONLY ONE WHO LOVES PORK CHOPS AND APPLESAUCE

QUESTION: Dear Pat,

I loved your blog today about having pork and sauerkraut for dinner with mashed potatoes. That is my favorite item that I get every time I go up to Shady Maple outside of Lancaster, Pa. I don't know how to make it though. Could you possibly print your recipe for this yummy meal? I would love tobe able to make it for a Sunday dinner too.

ANSWER: Hi. Thanks for the email. I don't really have a recipe for the dish - it's more like a cooking method.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set an enamel-coated Dutch oven on the stove over medium-high heat. Film thebottom of the pan with vegetable or canola oil. Salt and pepper a boneless pork roast - I think mine was about 2 1/2 pounds - add it to the pan and brown it in all sides. (You're not cooking it through, just browning the outside.) Remove the roast from the pan. Set aside.

Turn heat down to medium. Add a little more oil, if needed, and 1 large sliced onion and 1 sliced apple to the pan. Sprinkle with salt and a few grinds of freshly ground pepper. Cook until the apples begin to soften and the onion wilts, about 3 mins.. Then, add 1 to 2 cloves of chopped garlic. Cook just until the garlic is fragrant.

Then, add one bag of sauerkraut - I like Kissling's. (Do not rinse it.)

This is where you can get creative. I added about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of homemadechicken broth - just because I had it in the refrigerator - as well as a few splashes - maybe 1/4 cup or so - of apple cider. (You could add white wine if you wanted.) I also added fresh thyme, some caraway seeds, a little ground allspice and a little more salt and pepper. A bay leaf isn't a bad addition.

Put the pork roast back in the Dutch oven. Cover with a lid and place in the oven for 1 1/2 hours. When the 1 1/2 hours was up - I put on the potatoes on the stove to boil for the mashed potatoes. Then, I turned the oven down to 300 degrees and continued cooking the pork and sauerkraut another 30 mins. or so, or until the potatoes on the stove were fork tender and ready to mash.

Remove the pork and sauerkraut from the oven. Slice the pork and return it to the pot. Serve with the mashed potatoes, applesauce - and don't forget rye bread. Horseradish on the side also is good!

A GARAGE SALE AT AIR TRANSPORT COMMAND?

QUESTION: Dear Ms Talorico,

As the local culinary expert, it has been suggested that I ask you about something that I have had no luck at all getting an answer to. Do you know what the status of the old Air Transport Command location is? It closed again before I had a chance to get there, and, as a history buff, I'd be very interested if whoever owns the place and the stuff within ever decides to get rid of it. Do you know anything or who I might contact? Any info would be welcome.

Thanks.

Sincerely,

David Harkins

ANSWER: Air Transport Command restaurant, a part of the New Castle County landscape for more than 20 years, closed on March 29, 2006, according to a handwritten sign on the door. *** UPDATE: It reopened for a short period of time and then suddenly closed again. ****

When the aviation-themed eatery near the New Castle Airport on U.S. 13 first opened in 1984, themed restaurants were big business. The restaurant was named for the military's Air Transport Command, which had a support group at the former New Castle Air Base. Because some of the first women aviators to fly transport planes flew out of New Castle, the restaurant was dedicated to them. The eatery had been owned by Specialty Restaurants Corp. of Long Beach, Calif., which operates several aviation-themed eateries with World War I and World War II motifs.

We called Specialty Restaurant Corp. several times after the restaurant first closed in 2006 and no one returned phone calls.

I tried calling the restaurant's listed phone number on Friday and it rings and rings.

I have no more information. But if I do, I'll post it here.

WORLD'S WORST PIZZA BUT WORLD'S BEST STROMBOLI

QUESTION: Ms. Talorico,

I have not enjoyed a stromboli since Pala's Cafe [World's Worst Pizza on Union Street in Wilmington] closed. Does anyone have the recipe that was used? I'd be extremely grateful to anyone that might be able to supply this to me.

Thank you for your time,
Debbie Bello

ANSWER: I miss Pala's too, Debbie. I liked their chopped salad. Where to get a stromboli now? I recall Gallucio's as having a very good stromboli, though it's been a while since I had one. Readers? Any thoughts? (Maybe, this is a topic one of our Regular Guy Grubbers can tackle - well, if I can get them out of Hooters....)

I will pass along your request to our food columnist Nancy Coale Zippe, who is the Indiana Jones of reader recipe requests.